Copa America Centenario is the biggest soccer tournament the United States has hosted since the 1994 World Cup — before Christian Pulisic was even born. Now, the 17-year-old is the fastest-rising star in American soccer, shouldering the weight of great pressure on his team and even greater expectations for himself.

While US Soccer has taken great pains to avoid the comparisons to Landon Donovan and the breathless hype that hurt Freddy Adu — which is why Adu and his family declined interview requests when reached by phone — those who know the Hershey, Pa., native say Pulisic can handle the spotlight. He isn’t afraid of pressure, won’t be afraid of Colombia in Friday’s group-play opener and isn’t afraid of much of anything.

“He’s a wonderful kid,” US coach Jurgen Klinsmann said of his 5-foot-8, 139-pound prodigy. “He’s grounded, he knows that he has a long way to go. But he has no fear, and this is very important, not having fear, especially when you play then in our region when it becomes really physical. I’m not worried about his process, and we take it one day at a time.”

His progress has been meteoric, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in the US national team’s modern era during Saturday’s 4-0 tune-up win over Bolivia. But even coming off the field afterward, the young midfielder was calm, collected and unflappable. Much like he is when dribbling through traffic.

“I’m just living life in the moment. It’s cool, stats and stuff are cool, but I just want to win this tournament coming up,’’ said Pulisic, who played his way into the rotation on Borussia Dortmund, runners-up in Germany’s Bundesliga and ranked in the top 10 of the latest UEFA rankings. Pulisic became the youngest player to ever score multiple goals in a Bundesliga season.

“It’s just what I learned since I was a little kid,” he said. “My dad taught me no matter what to just be myself. I knew that I was good enough, that I had the ability, so I never shy away from any moment, and I don’t think anyone should.”

His father, Mark, is a Long Island-raised son of a Croatian immigrant, a former pro indoor player, college coach and MISL exec who became a youth coach for Dortmund when the younger Pulisic signed last January.

His mother, Kelley, scored 13 career goals as a defender for George Mason. It was when she got offered a chance to teach in England on a Fulbright grant — and the family moved to the Oxford area — that the 7-year-old Pulisic was hooked on the sport.

When the family returned stateside, he quickly made a name dominating youth leagues, first in Detroit and then Pennsylvania, outplaying kids much bigger and older, but never backing down.

That’s when Tab Ramos, arguably the most technical player in US history, saw him. Ramos, now the US Under-20 coach, gave a glowing recommendation to national team coaches that eventually paved the way for Pulisic to go to Youth National Team residency in Florida, which in turn led to the Dortmund move.

“I’ve been following Christian for quite a few years now,’’ Ramos told The Post. “I first saw him when he was 11 or 12 and he was the best player — and the smallest — playing against 14-year-olds. He’s made steady improvement every year since, which shows dedication and hard work. He did very well in our residency program, and now knowing him even better, I’d expect that to continue.

“Christian has excellent balance and change of direction. It’s hard for players of any level to pin him down into an area, because he keeps them guessing. He has good vision and very good acceleration in the first 5-to-10 yards, and that’s usually all you need to make plays, so you have to play him honest. … He’s calm in front of the goal, which, at his age, is rare. He’s still very young, so he certainly has a room to grow and improve, and this will require a big commitment on his part.”

One he’s making, soaking up information from veteran teammates such as Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey.

“The guys have taken me in. They’re all really nice, and it’s helped me a lot,’’ Pulisic said. “It’s getting more and more comfortable. I’m making more friends.’’